Thursday, February 4, 2010

Setting a Course


The school year amazingly enough is more than half way. I can't believe that we are in the third marking period. It seems like only yesterday I was meeting these quiet, timid third graders who would become fourth graders in the fall.

They have grown so much in the last 100+ days. They have become confident, inquisitive, and determined. Determined to master division, five-paragraph essays, and so much more!

Explorers are a large part of our Social Studies curriculum. We start with indigenous Americans (North & South), move on to explorers, and finally end in Colonial Times, just before the Revolution. I find that fourth graders love this topic and really "get" the ideas of "discovery" vs "discovering", savage vs civilized, and ideas of ownership.

As part of our year, I ask my students to explorer themselves, what kind of learner they are, what they want to improve upon, and what they do well. Every quarter, we reflect upon those goals and re-chart our course. While we may not "discover" new continents or gold, I am certain we will all discover riches and experience new wonders.

Pictured is our bulletin board where we write a goal on our telescopes and draw a picture of it in the lens.

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